Mio
Mio Technology Corporation of Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. manufactures GPS navigation devices. It is a subsidiary of MiTAC International Corporation.
Contents |
C510
- WWW:
- Navigator (Navigation: )
- CPU: (OS: ), Flash:512 MB (external: sd)
- GPS: channels, ( , )
- Display: , Connectivity: USB; Bluetooth
- Internal: Batteries:
| Addresses | POIs |
| Mass Storage mode | ? Waterproof |
Pros:
- Quite accurate
- Very good for car navigation
- Easy hackable if you are into that sort of thing
- Add a cheap SD card for practically infinite mapping
Cons:
- Does not work for mapping without hacking
- Low battery time, made worse by the device locking with a battery warning at 25%
- Takes ages to recharge
- Occasional "blue screens"
A standard car navigation unit driven by SIRFstarIII and WinCE with simple media support and Bluetooth.
As delivered, the iGo software is completely useless for mapping, since it is not possible to get the GPX files out of the device. However, if you don't mind voiding the warranty, go to http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=61233&whichpage=1 and learn how to hack it to easily add that feature.
A702
- WWW:
- Phone (Navigation: )
- CPU: (OS: ), Flash:1024 MB (external: sd)
- GPS: channels, ( no, )
- Display: , Connectivity: USB; Bluetooth; WLAN
- Internal: Batteries:
| Addresses | POIs |
| Mass Storage mode | ? Waterproof |
P550
- WWW:
- PDA (Navigation: )
- CPU: (OS: ), Flash:64 MB (external: SD)
- GPS: channels, ( WAAS; EGNOS; MSAS, )
- Display: , Connectivity: USB; Bluetooth; WLAN
- Internal: Batteries:
| Addresses | POIs |
| Mass Storage mode | ? Waterproof |
Pros:
- GPS chip SiRFstar III
- Up to 2 GiB of storage on SD card
- All-in-one
Cons:
- Windows (crash, blue screen, etc)
- Battery life (around 4 hours with GPS, and WLAN or Bluetooth turned off).
The P550 is a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that runs Windows Mobile 5. It has a built-in GPS module with the SiRFstar III chip set. It is possible to attach an external antenna. The device also features Bluetooth and WLAN. A car mount is included in the package. The device can be bought with or without maps and navigation software from MIO. A few of the devices sold before August 2006 had a problem with weak signal level, but the problem has been acknowledged by Mio in the meantime. Questions about the device can be asked of user eriso.
The main problem with battery life appears to be caused by the Windows ActiveSync software continually trying to make PC contact. To fix this, follow this link: http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56706&whichpage=10 This details a procedure which adds a dummy connection, then sets ActiveSync to manual. As a result, battery life is extended considerably. The Mio software also seems to be a bit of a battery hog. If you just want to log your track, consider Beeline GPS software — it is inexpensive and includes a lot of useful geo-caching functions for quick annotation.
